Romeo And Juliet Blame

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is one of the most popular romantic tragedies in history. The story talks about “TWO STAR CROSSED” lovers hence Romeo & Juliet both come from 2 families, in a ancient grudge more like enemies. Romeo is from the Montague family and Juliet is a Capulet. They saw each other at a party the Capulets had held; they fell in love and got married. However, it's like something was stopping them from being happy; it was somehow leading both of them in a completely different direction, the opposite of what they wanted... DEATH. Every solution they looked for that gave the audience a bit of hope somehow something stopped them for ending up living together so Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin and gets banished and both of
them have to find a way to live together which seems easy but Juliet’s dad forces her marriage from a man named Paris which makes the solution even more risky so Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a temporary poison which makes her seem like she is dead but and then she wakes up so Romeo hears that Juliet is dead and the letter Friar Lawrence sent to Romeo “for some reason” did not arrive so he goes to her tomb and “for some reason” as soon as she opens her eyes she sees that romeo is dead so Friar lawrence walks in and begs her to leave with him she refuses and kills herself but their deaths ended an “ancient grudge” between the two families. I will be analysing the actions of each character which led to the death of Romeo and Juliet but also wha staged that. I personally believe that fate is to blame but all the characters contributed in making that occur.

Romeo is to blame.
Romeo was very childish, he didn’t know what he was doing. Shakespeare hints that through romeo’s line “there is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself: hence ‘banished’ is death mistermed. Calling death ‘ banished’ thou cut’st my head off with a golden axe, and smilest upon the stroke that murders me” (act 3 scene 3 line 17-23). Romeo cries over being banished and he isn’t thankful enough that he isn’t killed, that's childish act. Instead of taking responsibility for his devious actions and being thankful that his life wasn’t the forfeit and that he is only being banished, he cries over that ‘like a baby’. This show us that Romeo was not as responsible or mature enough to handle the consequences of the actions he took like marriage for example. In the 1500s when the play was written it was legal for girls to get married and 12 and boys at the age of 14. However, it was recommended that girls get married at 18 and boys at 22. Romeo and Juliet’s marriage was not something bad although it was rare. Shakespeare really exaggerates the words in Romeo’s line to really emphasise how he is overreacting and not handling this like a mature MARRIED person would. Romeo relates being banished to hell. “Hell itself”. In 1500s people were very religious and very superstitious so usually when someone related something to hell it was very serious because the definition of it back in England in the 1500s meant: torture, punishment, somewhere
where devils are. In addition to this Romeo is moaning over being banished and this is very childish behavior. Fate did not play a major role here but it’s what caused Romeo to be banished and what caused him to kill tybalt. In other words fate set the trap and Romeo fell in it. If Romeo handled this situation like a mature person would, he wasn’t going to get married. Anyone mature wouldn't get married to someone he only knew for 24 hours. If he didn’t get married he wasn’t going to die.

Not only is Romeo to blame for taking actions he wasn’t mature enough to handle, indicating contrast he ignored the warnings he got from certain characters and FATE. Romeo gets a ‘dream’ or a glimpse from the future. “I dreamt a dream tonight” (act 1 scene 4 line 50) without knowing what the dream was we immediately know that it is from fate.
Dreams are related to heaven, god, the skies, the stars and… FATE. The audience in 1500s would probably be worried since people in England in the 1500s were very religious and superstitious so they did not only believe it, they lived by it. “I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars Shall bitterly begin his fearful date With this night’s revels, and expire the term Of a despisèd life closed in my breast By some vile forfeit of untimely death. But he that hath the steerage of my course,Direct my sail. On, lusty gentlemen”. (line 106 -113) Romeo gets a dream that he will die. He fears that the party that he will go to will start with something bad and end with his death. “For my mind misgives some consequence”. The use of the term “ consequence” determines something that will happen in cause of a certain action that someone will take in the FUTURE, future is related to the skies, stars etc… but most importantly fate because fate is what determines what will happen in the future.Shakespeare also uses a technique for this phrase called ‘foreshadowing’. It’s when the author uses certain words to imply something that will happen in the future. Shakespeare has foreshadowed that romeo will die in the play. Most importantly what supports that fate is behind this the most is that Romeo says “from the stars” and of course stras relate to heaven and superstition.
He also states the word “misgives” which can be defined as something bad something atrocious. He gets a discomforting feeling towards the party that they are going to. Yet he decides to ignore it and go. “But he that hath the steerage of my course,Direct my sail on,lust gentlemen” . Romeo says but whoever is incharge of where my life goes can take me where ever they want. Here is proof that Romeo deliberately ignores the warning he got from fate. I Personally don’t portray this as a warning; I think fate sent this dream to Romeo to unconsciously make him more eager to go because usually when you tell someone not to go or not to do something and not really make it clear why it makes you want to know more and since he is a teenage boy it got to him most because it makes him think that he shouldn’t be afraid of anything now because he is ‘a big boy’. Once again Romeo has fell i to fate’s conspiracy. As i have stated before English people in the 1500s were very religious and superstitious so small little sign that came from god or fate is to be obeyed and followed immediately without a second thought; the fact that Romeo ignored something that came from God create the sense of fear to the audience from the consequences that he will meet in the future.

Juliet is to blame. Juliet disobeys her parents, she disobeys them by declining her forced marriage from Paris. "Now, by Saint Peter’s Church and Peter too, He shall not make me there a joyful bride. I wonder at this haste, that I must wed Ere he, that should be husband, comes to woo. I pray you, tell my lord and father, madam,I will not marry yet. And when I do, I swear It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!” (act 3 scene 5 line 116-123). juliet briefly explains, that she swears that she will not marry Paris, and that he won’t make her happy, How can she marry so early and that when she gets married she’d rather it be Romeo whom they “know she hates” than Paris. Juliet answers in such as haste because she has fallen into a huge problem. “ "Now, by Saint Peter’s Church and Peter too,” When someone swears by something so valuable as god and a saint it reveals how serious she is about what she is swearing by. Juliet also says to her mother “ And when I do, I swear It shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate, Rather than Paris. These are news indeed!”. When juliet says this to her mother it creates so much tension for the audience; for her mother it just seems like is overreacting because how can she compare paris the noble handsome guy to a murderer whom she feels so much animosity towards. Shakespeare creates so much tension for the audience and juliet, he expresses that from how nervous juliet sounds, we were only able to tell through her word choice that I have analysed. It created so much tension for the audience because shakespeare used a certain technique called ‘dramatic irony’. ‘Dramatic irony’ is when the audience knows more information than the characters themselves. In this case the audience knows that juliet is already married to her arch enemy